Protein skimmers assist in maintaining a controlled aquatic environment in aquariums and employ naturally occurring foam fractionation to produce organic loaded foam containing organic waste material extracted from organic loaded water. Protein skimmers are typically formed from transparent rigid plastic material and include an upright reaction chamber for producing organic loaded foam, a foam collection cup for collecting organic loaded foam, and a lid. The organic loaded foam is produced by a vigorous mixture of air bubbles and the incoming organic loaded water. Small protein skimmers include a main inlet for injecting an air/organic loaded water mixture into a reaction chamber and a main outlet for supplying organic free water. Injection of organic loaded water into a reaction chamber often introduces vigorous turbulence which hinders foam fractionation. Some protein skimmers include one or more aspirating pumps for circulating an air/water mixture within a reaction chamber to create micro air bubbles for facilitating foam fractionation. Protein skimmers generally have large footprints and are typically inconveniently positioned for maintenance purposes either within or besides a sump, or at the rear of or within an aquarium.
Foam collection cups encircle a generally cylindrical foam collection duct in flow communication with a reaction chamber to collect organic loaded foam rising up same and spilling thereover. Organic loaded foam lines a foam collection duct's interior surface thereby progressively hindering foam fractionation which is detrimental to an aquarium's aquatic environment. Aquarists periodically inspect protein skimmers to determine the extent of lining and whether the foam collection ducts require cleaning to restore full operational capability. Aquarists are unable to inspect a foam collection duct's interior along a horizontal line of sight due to organic loaded foam in its encircling foam collection cup and also lining its interior surface. Thus, aquarists necessarily have to remove a protein skimmer's lid and inspect a foam collection duct's interior from above. Periodic cleaning of a foam collection cup requires interrupting operation of a protein skimmer and removal of the foam collection cup which is inconvenient and time consuming.
Exemplary protein skimmers for use in aquariums are illustrated and described in inter alia U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,007 to Conn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,811 to Cohen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,872 to Overath, U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,436 to Cole, U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,164 to Del Rosario, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,962 to Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,525 to Mowka, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,280 to Loehr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,821 to Gutierrez-Callazo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,227 to Watt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,034 to Phillips et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,335 to Overath, U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,704 to Hansen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,209 to Kim, commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,028 to Marks et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,295 to Kim, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,625 to Wu.
Product information regarding protein skimmers commercially available from Applicants Red Sea Fish Pharm Ltd, Herzliya, Israel, is available online at www.redseafish.com.